Explore Pharmacology Graduate Studies in Pharmacology This brochure is designed to provide college students with an overview of the fundamentals and applications of pharmacology. A colorized image of a sagittal section of rat brain with regions of separate TASK-1 (green) or TASK-3 (red) expression, and areas of overlapping TASK-1 and TASK-3 expression (yellow). The TASK proteins form channels in cell membranes and allow for the controlled movement of potassium ions. TASK channels are believed to contribute to many physiological processes and control the clinical actions of some inhalation anesthetics. Opportunities and Challenges in Pharmacology f you are a highly motivated and enquiring student who is seeking a career Iin the biomedical sciences and have a In general terms, pharmacology is the strong interest in making a major science of drug action on biological contribution to the understanding of both systems. novel and current disease processes and the development of new therapies – then Explore Pharmacology. In general terms, pharmacology is the science of drug action on biological systems. In its entirety, pharmacology embraces knowledge of the sources, chemical properties, biological effects and therapeutic uses of drugs. It is a science that is basic not only to medicine, but also to pharmacy, nursing, dentistry and veterinary medicine. Pharmacological studies range from those that examine the effects of chemical agents on subcellular mechanisms, to those that deal with the potential hazards of pesticides and herbicides, to those that focus on the treatment and prevention of major diseases with drug therapy. Pharmacologists also use molecular modeling and computerized design as drug discovery tools to understand cell function. New pharmacological areas include the genomic and proteomic approaches for therapeutic treatments. Integrating knowledge in many related scientific disciplines, pharmacology offers a unique perspective to solving drug, hormone, and chemical-related problems as they impinge on human health. As it unlocks the mysteries of drug actions, discovers new therapies, and develops new medicinal products, pharmacology inevitably touches all our lives. While remarkable progress has been made in developing new drugs and in understanding how they act, the challenges that remain are endless. Ongoing discoveries regarding fundamental life processes will continue to raise new and intriguing questions that stimulate further research and evoke the need for a fresh scientific insight. This booklet provides you with a broad overview of the discipline of pharmacology. It describes the many employment opportunities that A await graduate pharmacologists, and outlines the academic path that Control they are advised to follow. If you enjoy problem solving, feel a sense of excitement and enthusiasm about understanding both drug action IL-1␤ and the potential of drugs to offer new insights into disease Contraction mechanisms, then you have little choice but to … -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 Log [Phenylephrine] +IL-1␤ Explore B Control Pharmacology Contraction +LNMMA This will be the first step into an absorbing, challenging, productive, and rewarding scientific -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 career. Log [Phenylephrine] G G A A G A G G A T C T 3'OH3 OH G G ATP G C A Pol␩ G Y Family 1. C T C A C CTP T G Pol␨ 2. C A T G A C T Pharmacology: Its Scope harmacology is the study of the therapeutic value and/or potential toxicity of chemical agents on biological systems. It targets every aspect of the mechanisms for Pthe chemical actions of both traditional and novel therapeutic agents. Two important and interrelated areas are: pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Pharmacodynamics is the study of the molecular, biochemical, and physiological effects of drugs on cellular systems and their mechanisms of action. Pharmacokinetics deals with the absorption, distribution, and excretion of drugs. More simply stated, pharmacodynamics is the study of how drugs act on the body while pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body acts on drugs. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic aspects of the action of chemical agents are applicable to all related areas of study, including toxicology and therapeutics. Toxicology is the study of the adverse or toxic effects of drugs and other chemical agents. It is concerned both with drugs used in the treatment of disease and chemicals that may present household, environmental, or industrial hazards. Therapeutics focuses on the actions and effects of drugs and other chemical agents with physiological, biochemical, microbiological, immunological, or behavioral factors influencing disease. It also considers how disease may modify the pharmacokinetic properties of a drug by altering its absorption into the systemic circulation and/or its tissue disposition. Each of these areas is closely interwoven with the subject matter and experimental techniques of physiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, genetics, and pathology. Pharmacology is the study of the therapeutic value and/or potential toxicity of chemical agents on biological systems. neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and The pharmacological sciences can be further subdivided: Neuropharmacology is the study of drugs on components of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves that communicate with all parts of the body. Neuropharmacologists study drug actions from a number of differing viewpoints. They may probe new ways to use drugs in the treatment of specific disease states of the nervous system. Alternatively, they may study drugs already in use to determine more precisely the neurophysiological or neurobiochemical functions of the nervous system that are modified by drug action. Neuropharmacologists also use drugs as tools to elucidate basic mechanisms of neural function and to provide clues to the underlying neurobiological nature of disease processes. Cardiovascular pharmacology concerns the effects of drugs on the heart, the vascular system, and those parts of the nervous and endocrine systems that participate in regulating cardiovascular function. Researchers observe the effects of drugs on arterial pressure, blood flow in specific vascular beds, release of physiological mediators, and on neural activity arising from central nervous system structures. Molecular pharmacology deals with the biochemical and biophysical characteristics of interactions between drug molecules and those of the cell. It is molecular biology applied to pharmacological and toxicological questions. The methods of molecular pharmacology include precise mathematical, physical, chemical and molecular biological techniques to understand how cells respond to hormones or pharmacologic agents , and how chemical structure correlates with biological activity Biochemical pharmacology uses the methods of biochemistry, cell biology, and cell physiology to determine how drugs interact with, and influence, the chemical “machinery” of the organism. The biochemical pharmacologist uses drugs as probes to discover new information about biosynthetic pathways and their kinetics, and neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology … clinical pharmacology … chemotherapy … veterinary medicine … systems and integrated biology … macromolecular therapeutics … neuropharmacology … cardiovascular physiology … molecular biology … biochemistry … behavioral pharmacology … gene therapy … endocrinology